PHOTOGRAPHY

International Garden Photographer of the Year competition

When the winners were announced for the IGPOTY 2011 garden photography competition, I was amazed and delighted to find that my photo of the lowly nettle had been ‘highly commended’. For lovers of gardens, the competition website contains a feast of garden and garden-related photography. My favourite picture from 2011 is ‘Bee visiting Catkins’ by Danny Beath in the Wildflower Category. IGPOTY has national and international exhibitions displaying selections of photographs from previous competitions. They are well worth a visit.

Photography is a hobby for me so most of the pictures on this page were taken on holiday in Perthshire and in France. The Paeonia Claire de Lune was taken at Gardening Scotland 2010 early one morning just as the sun was rising and shortly after we had watered the whole show garden in anticipation of a scorching day. This picture is now on the front cover of Binny Plants’ newly launched Paeonia Catalogue. The ladybird was taken at my daughter’s 8th birthday party.